It is generally accepted that health benefits can be obtained by delivering direct electrical current to wounds in the skin caused by disease or trauma. Tests have shown that the application of a positively charged electrode to a wound will: reduce the flow of blood to the wound, minimize bleeding, attract oxygen, speed healing, and prevent the swelling of tissue adjacent the wound. The application of a negatively charged electrode to a wound, on the other hand, will increase blood flow to the wound thereby killing germs at an increased rate and minimizing the likelihood of prolonged tissue swelling.
A basic treatment protocol is for the direct electrical current to be applied to a wound for one hour two times per day. An "application" electrode of appropriate polarity is first placed over the wound after it has been packed with a conductive medium such as saline-soaked gauze. Next, a "dispersive" electrode, having a polarity opposite that of the application electrode, is secured to the skin a short distance away from the wound. Then, electric current from a remote source is flowed between the application and dispersive electrodes.
While skin-contacting electrodes of the type described are widely known, they tend to possess shortcomings which have limited their use. First, the known electrodes are generally bulky making them uncomfortable and difficult to position adjacent many wounds (especially those located under plaster casts or other orthotic devices). Second, the use of saline-soaked gauze as a conductive medium between the electrodes and the skin can macerate healthy tissue after prolonged use and deposit unwanted fibers in wounds. Finally, the known electrodes are limited in their ability to draw wound seepage from the skin thus requiring their frequent movement for wound cleaning purposes.